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In this jobless existence I’ve been leading of late, holidays have a way of sneaking up on you. And whaddaya know, Independence Day is upon us. After smashing my head so hard against the wall that I’ve had to scrub ’em down, I’m opting to take a long weekend in lieu of any more. I’m trying to reorder my days to make them more productive and creative and, sure, remunerative, which means I have to set some things aside and/or let them find a new place in the hierarchy. (Pulls at chin — wha-?) OK, I’m trying to write some fiction every day and look for freelance work every day and while blogging still has a place, it’s going to have a somewhat smaller place than what it’s had in the past.

Or else it just can’t take so damn long and suck up so much time. And make me write redundant sentences like the previous one.

Seems a long weekend is a good time to start organizing. Also, to sail the boat.

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33 responses to “We can dream, can’t we?”

James Kabala said on June 30, 2005 at 11:46 pm

Thanks for revealing yourself to be the kind of sicko who enjoys assassination fantasies. You get extra credit for choosing a movie still that shows the same deed planned by the hijackers of the fourth September 11th plane. That’s the end of my patronage of this blog.

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Danny said on July 1, 2005 at 12:49 am

Yeah, Nance. I have to agree with James. I’ve been absent for a few weeks. Mainly due to life, but also because I perceived a lack of intellectual honesty on your part with regard to just about everything with which you didn’t agree. Now, I don’t know what to make of your blog. You’ve become quite the douche.

I guess you can all have fun swapping recipes, chatting interminably about assinine TV shows, and setting up strawmen to knock down.

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sammy jo said on July 1, 2005 at 1:15 am

Ok. I read it pretty much all of the time. I am a born again Christian and a republician to boot. I disagree with a lot of what Nance has to say, but respect that she has the right to say it. It is a BLOG. Don’t read it if you don’t want to. Yeah, I admit, sometimes she goes off on a subject and it gets under my skin a bit, I might feel a little insulted. I click off, that is my right. But, that is also what makes her a good writer, the ability to stir the pot when needed. She is honest to the point that she doesn’t give her readers a steady diet of cheese or an on line diary. Never thought I’d do it, but I’ve gotta stick up for Nance. And, I admit, I am probably one of her more conservative lookers. SJ

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Carmella said on July 1, 2005 at 6:55 am

Well, Sammy Jo…they don’t come any more conservative than ME, but I do not go a day without checking out Nancy. Sure, I find that photo offensive….I was shocked actually. At first I thought it was fireworks going off at the White House! But Nancy is like a friend of mine that I have to check in with every day. I don’t agree with my friends 100% of the time, either. If she starts talking about something I don’t like or don’t agree with…I just don’t read it! Yesterday I was cleaning the house and using my swiffer duster and I thought…good ol’ Nance, she turned me on to these! ….I’m just not that deep, and THAT’S OK!!!

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ashley said on July 1, 2005 at 7:23 am

I think some may be reading a bit too much into this. Independence Day is merely the title of a movie which coincides with the weekend holiday. It also happens to have some quite striking images. The only other possible film that came to mind was “Born on the 4th of July”, but scientologists have gotten too much ink already lately.

Was there any intent in Nancy’s choice of image? Some are assuming that there was, but hey, unlike the administration’s attempted purge of Lehrer’s liberalism, why not just ask her?

This whole conservative and liberal nomenclature is also a bit inaccurate. I am a protestant Christian (read: conservative). I think churches should be taxed (read: liberal), and so on. In general, I think NN is on the left, but thankfully, many readers are on the right, which usually makes this an entertaining read. More entertaining, than say, DailyKOS, which is slanted 1 and only 1 way (although I lean that way).

For fun, and to show how the left and right labels are somewhat irrelevant and entirely inaccurate, take the test at http://www.politicalcompa ss.org (modified to get past Nancy’s censor).

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ashley said on July 1, 2005 at 8:54 am

OK, so I was wrong. I didn’t see the title of Nance’s post, so I guess we all know her intent.

So if this offends someone, so be it. Bush War II offends me, and the thousands upon thousands it has killed.

I was just thinking it would be cool to see a giant spaceship blow up the White House. Everybody knows Bush would dodge that particular death ray — he’ll be in Texas or Kennebunkport for the long weekend.

If I really had assassination fantasies, I’d have posted a picture of Travis Bickle.

Generally, my contempt for the prez waxes and wanes. It’s waxing at the moment; this public-broadcasting monitoring business has me capital-F Furious. People said Clinton was cynical, but he is Mary-fuckin-Poppins compared to the folks we have now.

The irony is that when Islamic Fundamentalists take over the U.S., some of their most vehement apologists (like yourself and Michael Moore) will be the first marched to the gallows. The �American values� they hate are the catalog of values you embrace. (Many of which this Libertarian also embraces).

While I’m generally not a fragile “I’m never gonna listen/read/patronize you again!” person, that caption did stun. It undermined my mistaken belief that Ms. Derringer is opinionated, but not an ideologue.

I guess, if you really want an echo chamber of unchallenged, untested opinion, that is one way to do it. One good taco fart will clear out a room.

gosh, i have read for a long time and never felt the need to post before.

i looked on the internet to try and find a picture of the al zarkawi holding up daniel pearle’s severed head, so that I could photoshop Hillary’s severed head over it and caption it “We Can Only Dream….”

but then that would make me a hater like you.

ick. shame on you. i feel icky for reading your blog.

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mary said on July 1, 2005 at 11:45 am

Nance’s fantasy is just that, and it’s hurt no one. Bush’s war, his health care policies, his environmental policies, his shoveling of cash to his cronies, those things have hurt or killed plenty of people. I don’t want harm to befall the president, but I sure would like to see some radical change in the philosophy that directs his actions. The monitoring of PBS/NPR is really disturbing. The lies that were used to go to war are hideous. The speech the other night that tried to connect Iraq to 9/11 was an outrage. Sleazebags like DeLay talking about ethics and morality…aargh.

Correction – Independence Day is not upon us, it’s Canada Day, July 1.

I like your blog, read it often, don’t always agree but then if I did, what would be the point of reading it? I sympathize with the difficulty of finding time for blogging. Ever since I entered semi-retirement last December I seem to have no time for anything! Maybe it’s the freedom of unstructured days, I just over-fill them with stuff. I get lots done, just not what I’d planned on doing that day.

Oh, for God’s sake. FOR GOD’S SAKE. It is not a fantasy. It’s a picture of a giant spaceship destroying the White House. Sometimes a picture of a giant spaceship destroying the White House is just a picture of a giant spaceship destroying the White House. Grip, people.

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John said on July 1, 2005 at 1:07 pm

I am surprised that no one has started the “you have been reported” taunt…

ID did come out during the Clinton WH and I know I saw that still used by the other side…

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mary said on July 1, 2005 at 2:00 pm

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you fantasized about the White House blowing up. The photo is a fantasy. It’s not real. And yes, people should get a grip.

It’s not aimed at you, Mary. I should take this whole entry down. I was just thinking about summer movies and lousy presidents. Although now that we have a Supreme Court nomination fight ahead, this seems like pleasant small talk, eh?

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mary said on July 1, 2005 at 2:08 pm

Hey, I remember being bummed about having our first women on the supreme court nominated by Reagan. She seems moderate these days compared to the possibile nominees I’ve seen mentioned.

I really like Bill Pullman playing our President much better than the current guy who’s got the role.

I love Pullman’s speech in the movie:

From this day on, the fourth day of July will no longer be remembered as an American holiday but as the day that all of mankind declared we will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We will live on! We will survive!

She IS moderate. I once rode a commercial airliner with her, to Phoenix. She looked like she weighed 90 pounds soaking wet.

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Joe said on July 1, 2005 at 3:49 pm

Seems to me we don’t need Islamic Fundamentalists to take over our country. There already appear to be enough intellectually inflexible, judgmental, humorless boobs firmly ensconced within our borders. But rather than engage in civil discourse about how they disagree with Nancy or find her choice of expression distasteful, they resort to pejoratives like “sicko” and “douche.”

Welcome to rhetoric in America, kids.

I think Nance�s post title and the photo are hilarious. What�s wrong with using humor to deal with situations that�re irksome to you? Oh, wait, have the you�re-with-us-or-against-us powers-that-be passed a bill to make that illegal too?

Keep up the good work, Nance. If you�re gonna be blogging less, my days will be bleaker for it.

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Maureen said on July 1, 2005 at 4:25 pm

It would be cool to have the White House blown up? Uh, why no it wouldn’t. And that answer doesn’t change if the president manages to avoid incineration.

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joodyb said on July 1, 2005 at 5:20 pm

Wow. I thought I’d taken a wrong turn in the blogosphere. How seriously are you itinerant blog readers taking what you see out there that you get so prickly at a pre-911 movie still? If you really want something to bitch about, check out the Onion or Landover Baptist Church. Jeesh.

Look at it this way, Maureen: the White House could be rebuilt in precisely the same form inside of a year. Whereas seeing that giant spaceship would be a once-in-human-history experience. Net loss: Some historically significant furniture, Nancy Reagan’s china, those Frederick Remington sculptures presidents are so fond of. And Bill Pullman kills all the aliens!

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ashley said on July 1, 2005 at 5:39 pm

“I guess, if you really want an echo chamber of unchallenged, untested opinion, that is one way to do it. One good taco fart will clear out a room.”

But I don’t. Re-read my post. Just like a dog that’s been fixed, you don’t get it.

I mentioned that Daily Kos on one hand, and Rush Limbaugh, on the other, are not as entertaining as NN.com. Oh well, if it has the effect of getting rid of anonymous trolls, then huzzah.

Everybody, have a great holiday, and enjoy every sandwich.

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Dorothy said on July 1, 2005 at 8:40 pm

Ah Ashley – a reference to the late, great Warron Zevon. Wouldn’t he just be having such a laugh over all of this if he could read it?! Just try to chill folks. Maybe sing a few bars of Kumba ya?

Assassination? Shoot, it isn’t like Pres. Slow-Puppy’s going to be there anyway. Dude takes more vacations than anybody I ever saw. In fairness, Clinton was a close second.

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brian stouder said on July 2, 2005 at 10:21 pm

I agree with Ashley!! Huzzah!! Huzzah!!

For the record, I’m about as much of a red-state, fly-over country, suckered-by-the-GOP, W-supporting, argumentative right-winger as anyone…..and I chuckled when I saw good ol’ Madam Telling Tales’ pic and header.

I confess that my SECOND reaction was to think that NN would consider it an example of right-wing small-minded hatefulness if President Kerry existed, and some right-wing blog ran a similar pic –

but all is fair. Plus it’s the 4th of July long weekend – and while Nance has a hot dog in all of our honor, I will have a 100%-American beef hamburger loaded with the works, and cooked all to hell to kill the Mad-Cow disease that we are assured is not extant!